Jury Convicts Imperial County Man on Four Felony Firearm and Drug Charges

-Editorial 

An Imperial County jury has found Jason Viramontes, 47, guilty on four felony charges related to firearm and drug offenses following a trial in Imperial County Superior Court, according to the Imperial County District Attorney’s Office.

The verdicts were returned after approximately 23 minutes of deliberations, concluding a case that stemmed from a March 19, 2025, traffic stop conducted by the U.S. Border Patrol on Highway 98 between Calexico and Ocotillo.

Prosecutors alleged that Viramontes was unlawfully armed with a loaded and operable firearm while in possession of methamphetamine and that he was prohibited from possessing a firearm due to prior felony convictions.

According to testimony presented at trial, Border Patrol agents stopped Viramontes while he was driving along the highway. Authorities said Viramontes admitted to possessing methamphetamine, leading to his arrest. Investigators testified that after Viramontes informed agents there was a firearm inside the vehicle, a loaded handgun was recovered from beneath the driver’s seat.

The prosecution’s case included testimony from five Border Patrol agents assigned to the El Centro Sector, as well as a laboratory analyst and chemist from the Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection who testified regarding evidence collected during the investigation.

Following the guilty verdicts, the court also found true several sentencing-related allegations concerning Viramontes’ criminal history. Prosecutors said the findings included two prior serious or violent felony convictions, commonly known under California law as “strikes,” as well as other factors that could affect sentencing.

Court records show Viramontes has an extensive criminal history dating back more than two decades. In Los Angeles County, he was originally convicted in 1999 of murder and attempted murder in connection with a shooting involving two victims. Those convictions were later overturned by the California Court of Appeal in 2001. Following the appellate decision, Viramontes entered into a plea agreement and was convicted of voluntary manslaughter with personal use of a firearm involving one victim and assault with a semiautomatic firearm involving a second victim. He was sentenced to 13 years and four months in state prison.

Records cited by prosecutors indicate that after his release from prison, Viramontes returned to custody on multiple occasions for separate offenses. Prosecutors stated that he served additional prison terms related to convictions in Imperial County in 2013 and San Bernardino County in 2017. Authorities also cited later convictions in San Bernardino and Riverside counties involving allegations of being armed with a firearm while possessing controlled substances.

In addition to the case that resulted in the recent jury verdict, Viramontes currently faces charges in two separate pending criminal matters in Imperial County Superior Court.

One case includes charges of battery on a cohabitant, violating a protective order, delaying or obstructing a peace officer, and possession of drug paraphernalia. A second case includes charges of assault with a deadly weapon, criminal threats, battery on a cohabitant, and causing a child unjustifiable mental suffering.

The pending cases have not gone to trial, and Viramontes is presumed innocent of those allegations unless and until proven guilty in court.

According to the District Attorney’s Office, prosecutors requested that Viramontes remain in custody without bail during the proceedings. Court records show he has been held at the Imperial County Jail without bail since April 14, 2025, and remains in custody.

Sentencing in the firearm and drug case is scheduled for late August before Imperial County Superior Court Judge Christopher J. Plourd. Prosecutors said Viramontes could face a sentence of life in prison due to the current convictions and findings related to his prior felony record.

The case was prosecuted by Senior Deputy District Attorney John A. Harter and Deputy District Attorney Roberto Gaytan. The investigation was conducted by the El Centro Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol, with assistance from the Imperial County District Attorney’s Office Bureau of Investigations. The Calexico Police Department also assisted in the broader investigation of related cases, according to prosecutors.